Sherwin J. Ball was born on March 22, 1920, in Houston, Texas. He lived with his parents, Henry and Daisy Ball, and his brothers Leo and Ray. He attended the University of Houston and later took a job at Hughes Tool Company, a drill-bit manufacturing company headed by the famous aviation innovator Howard Hughes, in his hometown.
During a routine flight on January 7, 1945, Ball's C-47 Skytrain lost radio contact at 3:15 a.m. It was later discovered that the plane went down in Yunnan Province, China, though the causes of the crash are unknown to this day. The wreckage was found a day later by a fellow CNAC pilot who reported that Ball and his two flight assistants had been killed. Ball was initially buried at an American cemetery in Yunnan Province, China, but Ball's family later had him formally laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Sherwin J. Ball gave his life in one of the most perilous operations of the Pacific Theatre. In all, he piloted 30 round-trips across the Himalayas, and his sacrifice, along with the sacrifices of his fellow CNAC airmen, helped fend off an impending Japanese invasion of one of the last allied powers in the Pacific, an event which would have fundamentally changed the outcome of the war. Ball's acts of service exceeded what is expected from a civilian. His selfless actions helped change the course of the war not only for his country but for the entire world.
During a routine flight on January 7, 1945, Ball's C-47 Skytrain lost radio contact at 3:15 a.m. It was later discovered that the plane went down in Yunnan Province, China, though the causes of the crash are unknown to this day. The wreckage was found a day later by a fellow CNAC pilot who reported that Ball and his two flight assistants had been killed. Ball was initially buried at an American cemetery in Yunnan Province, China, but Ball's family later had him formally laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Sherwin J. Ball gave his life in one of the most perilous operations of the Pacific Theatre. In all, he piloted 30 round-trips across the Himalayas, and his sacrifice, along with the sacrifices of his fellow CNAC airmen, helped fend off an impending Japanese invasion of one of the last allied powers in the Pacific, an event which would have fundamentally changed the outcome of the war. Ball's acts of service exceeded what is expected from a civilian. His selfless actions helped change the course of the war not only for his country but for the entire world.
Sherwin J. Ball was born on March 22, 1920, in Houston, Texas. He lived with his parents, Henry and Daisy Ball, and his brothers Leo and Ray. He attended the University of Houston and later took a job at Hughes Tool Company, a drill-bit manufacturing company headed by the famous aviation innovator Howard Hughes, in his hometown.
During a routine flight on January 7, 1945, Ball's C-47 Skytrain lost radio contact at 3:15 a.m. It was later discovered that the plane went down in Yunnan Province, China, though the causes of the crash are unknown to this day. The wreckage was found a day later by a fellow CNAC pilot who reported that Ball and his two flight assistants had been killed. Ball was initially buried at an American cemetery in Yunnan Province, China, but Ball's family later had him formally laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Sherwin J. Ball gave his life in one of the most perilous operations of the Pacific Theatre. In all, he piloted 30 round-trips across the Himalayas, and his sacrifice, along with the sacrifices of his fellow CNAC airmen, helped fend off an impending Japanese invasion of one of the last allied powers in the Pacific, an event which would have fundamentally changed the outcome of the war. Ball's acts of service exceeded what is expected from a civilian. His selfless actions helped change the course of the war not only for his country but for the entire world.
During a routine flight on January 7, 1945, Ball's C-47 Skytrain lost radio contact at 3:15 a.m. It was later discovered that the plane went down in Yunnan Province, China, though the causes of the crash are unknown to this day. The wreckage was found a day later by a fellow CNAC pilot who reported that Ball and his two flight assistants had been killed. Ball was initially buried at an American cemetery in Yunnan Province, China, but Ball's family later had him formally laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Sherwin J. Ball gave his life in one of the most perilous operations of the Pacific Theatre. In all, he piloted 30 round-trips across the Himalayas, and his sacrifice, along with the sacrifices of his fellow CNAC airmen, helped fend off an impending Japanese invasion of one of the last allied powers in the Pacific, an event which would have fundamentally changed the outcome of the war. Ball's acts of service exceeded what is expected from a civilian. His selfless actions helped change the course of the war not only for his country but for the entire world.
Gravesite Details
Civilian from Texas.
Family Members
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Records on Ancestry
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U.S., Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835-1974
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U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962
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1940 United States Federal Census
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1930 United States Federal Census
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Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S., National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 1941-2011
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